• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Norfolk birding (8 Viewers)

According to Birdline: 'At Snettisham RSPB probable juv. Black-eared Kite (presumably the Lincolnshire bird) seen from south hide at Snettisham flying west towards Sandringham at 9.15am this morning!!!!!

Lesser Snow Goose north of A149 at Holkham (phone birdline for exact details, couldn't remember it all!) - Holkham Bay: 1 Shorelark, 4 red-necked grebe, slavonian grebe - pinewoods: firecrest, merlin, peregrine, red kite. Cley: juv. white rump sandpiper on Pats Pool'.

Anybody coming to Norfolk this weekend:
High tide (King's Lynn Docks) for Saturday is 8.50am and Sunday 9.39am
Have a good weekend everyone. Gale force winds Saturday am, dying out towards afternoon. Drive carefully!!!

P.S. For anyone thats interested: James McCallum's exhibition and book launch of 'Larks and Leverets' tomorrow (Sat 25th) at the Reading Rooms, Holkham see his website: jamesmccallum.co.uk
 
Didn't see too much today (Saturday) as didn't get out until mid afternoon (boring chores to do). At Holme NOA, saw a kestral, a female great spotted woodpecker, sparrowhawk, few greenfinches. Someone else had seen a short eared owl near Redwell Marsh. Went over to Holkham to see James MacCallum's Exhibition (breathtaking paintings) and bought the book, then ended the day watching Pink Feet flying in (Lady Ann's Drive) in the moonlit sky, absolutely beautiful. :girl:
 
wandered to the point this weekend where i saw a female merlin, a we flock of snow bunts down to a few feet, the usual handfull of unidentified flushed and to be never seen again. grrrr!! the next day felt lucky and followed the advice above to look 4 bitterns but with no reward, but 2 otters swimming around the pool will make up for my failings at strumpshaw. By all accounts down at the fen both bitterns and otters have been seen throughout the day recently.
 
Todays effort from scratby,cantley,buckenham marsh RSPB and strumpshaw
fen!

First good sighting of the day was a barn owl hunting just beyond acle bridge,a good enough start!

First visit of the day was to a particularly bleak and rainy scratby for a three hour sea watch,neither me nor my friend had ever been here before so we pulled up in the carpark by the holiday village and set up our scopes by the cliff edge.Species seen here....

3 Red Throated Diver
90 Brent Geese
104 Dunlin
4 Red Breasted Marganser
18 Cormorants
2 Mallard/with widgeon!
1 Great Crested Grebe
11 Gadwall
3 Goldeneye
3 Eider, two male,one female (lifer)!
15 Common Scoter
1 Curlew
1 Guillemot
1 Woodcock (seen coming in off the sea and heading straight into the dunes)!

Next port of call was a part of the yare valley to look for taiga bean geese.
After following a footpath from the village that overlooks the marshes we soon found a feeding group of...

23 Taiga Bean Geese
28 White Fronts

Also a female marsh harrier was seen and two chinese water deer.Before calling into strumpshaw fen we decided to have a quick look around buckenham marsh RSPD,and very glad we did too!
First sightings were from the pools along the river which included...

15 Dunlin
17 Ruff
1 Black Tailed Godwit
2 Cettis warbler
1 Barn Owl
2 Marsh Harrier (females)
1 Little Egret

And finally our greatest sighting of the day!,a magnificent pair of peregrine falcons.First sighted was the male sitting on a gatepost,then the second was seen flying low which eventually settled on another gatepost a short distance from the first.Both birds gave extremely good views while sitting side by side in full view approx 200 yards away from the track.Seeing both birds so close together it was obvious they were a pair,the female being visibly much larger.Also noted was the slightly more prominant baring on the female and an almost cream/off white coloured chest compared to the brilliant white of the male.After watching the full range of head bobbing,wing and leg stretches for over half an hour we left to take the last two hours of daylight at strumpshaw fen,we stationed ourselves overlooking the flower meadow where we saw/heard..

2 Barn owls
2 Water Rail
3 Cettis Warblers
1 Woodcock
3/4 Male tawny Owls
2 Marsh Harrier
4 Chinese water deer

This is the only way to live!!

Matt
 
What a superb list. Will have to look where Scratby and Strumpshaw Fen are. We're coming down to Norfolk for a few days, arriving Friday evening (1st) and staying in Wells. Want to make the most of our few days there and not waste a moment. Think one day might be taken up travelling to the raptor roost near the mill but I'd be happy to stay near the north coast as there sounds to be plenty about.

Will be hoping to add to my BF members meagre list too!!

Sandra
 
Penny Clarke said:
Didn't see too much today (Saturday) as didn't get out until mid afternoon (boring chores to do). At Holme NOA, saw a kestral, a female great spotted woodpecker, sparrowhawk, few greenfinches. Someone else had seen a short eared owl near Redwell Marsh. Went over to Holkham to see James MacCallum's Exhibition (breathtaking paintings) and bought the book, then ended the day watching Pink Feet flying in (Lady Ann's Drive) in the moonlit sky, absolutely beautiful. :girl:

Hope exhibition is still on Penny. We're driving down tomorrow - arriving early evening. Will visit Holme at some point before Tuesday & Cley/Titchwell. Will have to decide how to make the most of our few days there. What time roughly the pink feet at Lady Ann's drive please? Before dusk or during/after.
Staying at Wells. Oh, I see you say moonlit!

Sandra
 
Sandra (Taylor) said:
What a superb list. Will have to look where Scratby and Strumpshaw Fen are. We're coming down to Norfolk for a few days, arriving Friday evening (1st) and staying in Wells. Want to make the most of our few days there and not waste a moment. Think one day might be taken up travelling to the raptor roost near the mill but I'd be happy to stay near the north coast as there sounds to be plenty about.

Will be hoping to add to my BF members meagre list too!!

Sandra

Hi Sandra

You might find winterton on sea (3 miles up the coast) a much better alternative to scratby,it's not one of the most picturesque of places to go birding (understatement ;) ),also winterton has the advantage of the dunes and scrub which would be better for a wider variety of birds.

best of luck with your visit!

Matt
 
Initially heard then saw 15 Bewicks' Swan in flight from the garden this afternoon. They actually passed through my 'airspace' so does that count as 'in the garden'? ;) 15 were on Swim Coots, Hickling yesterday so perhaps they were the same birds.

No sign of the reported White-tailed Eagle from Hickling today, although even a bird of that size could easily go undetected for some time in broadland.

James
 
Sandra (Taylor) said:
Hope exhibition is still on Penny. We're driving down tomorrow - arriving early evening. Will visit Holme at some point before Tuesday & Cley/Titchwell. Will have to decide how to make the most of our few days there. What time roughly the pink feet at Lady Ann's drive please? Before dusk or during/after.
Staying at Wells. Oh, I see you say moonlit!

Sandra
Hi Sandra

Yes, I think exhibition ends Sunday (not 100% sure though), its at The Reading Rooms (road opposite Lady Anne's drive and take first left up the hill (towards Holkham Hall itself) and park in small carpark to left (it is signposted). Saw the Pink feet somewhere between 5pm-6pm (they start coming in before this though). Have a wonderful weekend.
Best Wishes Penny ;)
 
Penny Clarke said:
Hi Sandra

Yes, I think exhibition ends Sunday (not 100% sure though), its at The Reading Rooms (road opposite Lady Anne's drive and take first left up the hill (towards Holkham Hall itself) and park in small carpark to left (it is signposted). Saw the Pink feet somewhere between 5pm-6pm (they start coming in before this though). Have a wonderful weekend.
Best Wishes Penny ;)

Thanks Penny. I'm sure we will. As long as I can navigate the roundabout at Kings Lynn! ("Keep right! Keep right!")

Sandra
 
Sandra (Taylor) said:
Thanks Penny. I'm sure we will. As long as I can navigate the roundabout at Kings Lynn! ("Keep right! Keep right!")

Sandra
Hi Sandra,
The Kings Lynn roudabout must be the worst to navigate round in England .I think I have mastered it going to Titchwell but coming back and trying to get in the right lane to get to Wisbech I still struggle with.Good luck when you have a go at it.

Max.
 
Ah, the joys of the Hardwick roundabout! Believe it or not, it's actually now laid out far better than it used to be, and there's less traffic on it due to the A47 flyover going in.

I never thought I'd say this, but I can think of worse ones - several off the North Circular are pretty baffling...

Anyway, back to the thread!
 
Sandra (Taylor) said:
Thanks Penny. I'm sure we will. As long as I can navigate the roundabout at Kings Lynn! ("Keep right! Keep right!")

Sandra

Hi Sandra

I know exactly what you mean, I am a confident driver and will attempt to drive just about anywhere, but I HATE that roundabout and I live here!!!!!!!

Just phoned Birdline: West of Holkham a Rough Legged Buzzard, a House Martin at Cromer, a Long Eared Owl at Kelling Water Meadows. The Little Auk at Snettisham was not mentioned, but it was seen yesterday (Thurs) and has been there all week so I expect its still there today, also 70 snow bunting at Holme (on Thurs).

Best Wishes Penny
 
If anyone hears of the Little Auk still being at Snettisham today could you put it on here please.....I think it seems to have gone. I was planning to go tomorrow if still present.

Many thanks in advance.
 
I reckon the worst roundabout in Britain has to be the A404 / M40 connection at Handy Cross. If you want to go right at the roundabout, you never know which lane to be in! And you're always wrong! Turning right off the M6 to Bedworth has its moments, too! Compared to these, the A47 r/b at Kings Lynn is easy peasy! (IMHO!)
 
White-tailed Eagle

One of the Eagles was seen from a moving car so was only a probable but very likely considering the other (possible same bird) was very well described to me and submitted to the county recorder.

Take a look at recent sightings page www.birdnews.co.uk

Best regards

Robin Chittenden

www.birdnews.co.uk & www.birdline-eastanglia.co.uk & www.harlequinpictures.co.uk

Tranquility Base said:
Anyone know anything about this White-tailed Eagle that's supposedly been seen around Norfolk over the weekend? Stringy? Or did anyone reliable see it?
 
senatore said:
Hi Sandra,
The Kings Lynn roudabout must be the worst to navigate round in England .I think I have mastered it going to Titchwell but coming back and trying to get in the right lane to get to Wisbech I still struggle with.Good luck when you have a go at it.

Max.




Made it Max!! Back home this afternoon. Roundabout not as bad I remember (when I took us thorugh the centre of Kings Lynn at tea-time rush hour!!) and sailed through it on the way back this morning too.

Sandra
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top